


Ice Cold (you melt my heart)

by spaceprinsess



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Magic, Yukhei is from an opposing kingdom, the lee's are all princes, uhhhhhh im bad at tagging sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-05-23 15:36:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14937062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceprinsess/pseuds/spaceprinsess
Summary: where Yukhei falls in love with the sun ;  where Johnny swears he's never felt cold like this before





	1. the miles i go out my way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! this is my first ever fic ;-; i've had this whole world made up in my mind for a long time so i decided to finally give birth to it!! I hope you enjoy. PSA i haven't edited this yet so if theres mistakes im sorry  
> //edit//  
> okay i edited it haha sorry or the mistakes it should read a lot better now :D

Pallid was a cold and unforgiving place. It was also fitting that the royal family of Pallid was as equally as cold and unforgiving. The crown prince of Pallid, Taeyong the First, was a vison. His face being carved straight out of the ice, his features striking and beautiful. He had an aura about him that was intriguing, making him the most popular of the four princes of pallid. The other three, the triplets, were as equally as beautiful, but were painfully immature in comparison to their older brother.

Mark, Jeno, and Donghyuck all displayed three important virtues of the Pallidian’s. Power, beauty, and fierceness. Hence how they got their namesakes: Mark the Powerful, Jeno the Beautiful, and Donghyuck the Fierce. And Taeyong was the culmination of all three of these virtues. He was impossibly beautiful, incredibly powerful, and the fiercest of the princes.

The princes resided in the Ice Castle, which overlooked the Lake of Night, a magical lake that instead of reflecting light off the surface of the water, it consumed the light of Pallid, transferring it to its sister, the Lake of Light. On most days, the castle was eerily quiet, today however, was not one of those days. Yelling could be heard through the hallways of the castle leading up to the crown room.

“He is not staying here! It goes against everything we as Pallidian’s stand for!” The King yelled across the long glass table. He and the Queen sat at the head, Taeyong to his left, and next to Taeyong sat Donghyuck, shrunk close to his brother in fear of his father. Donghyuck knew deep inside that this whole incident was his fault, but he refused to admit that to his father. Admitting defeat was against Pallidian morals, and Donghyuck loved who he was.

“And what do you want to do with the boy, father? Throw him out into the cold and leave him to be devoured by the wolves?” Taeyong asked, still sitting in his seat, hyperaware of his brother inching closer to his side.

The king froze. He knew first-hand what the wolves are capable of, Taeyong saw the Kings eyes flit down towards his foot, one clothed in robes, the other crowded in the mist of Yuta, the castle’s most powerful ice wielder, who had created a leg of ice, allowing him to walk.

“That’s hardly a fair thing to bring up Taeyong.” The queen said after a measurable silence. Taeyong knew this when he brought it up. Actually, it was exactly why he brought it up in the first place. Manipulating his father was a favourite pastime of the Crown Prince. Taeyong sat up straight, rearranging his robes, and stared at his father.

“Fine.” The king started, “The boy can stay here for now. But I am warning you Taeyong, one wrong move and I will leave him to freeze.” With this, the king and queen got up out of their chairs and exited the crown room, their personal attendants following swiftly.

After an extended silence, Sooyoung let out a tense laugh. “That,” she started, “was a shitstorm.” The two princes looked to Sooyoung, the atmosphere in the crown room changing dramatically.

“It was.” Taeyong told his warrior. He then looked at his younger brother. “Hyuck, you owe me big time.”

Donghyuck looked up to his brother. His icy features softening when his eyes were on Donghyuck, but he was no fool. Taeyong was a master of hiding his own emotions, and Donghyuck knew from personal experience that to get on the wrong side of the crown prince was a very, very bad place to be.

“I know.” Donghyuck said, looking down towards his shoes. Ten really had outdone himself this time. His shoes an iridescent shade of white, that glinted in the sun. Ten had called them snow shoes, for the way they reflected light and were impossibly soft against the hard marble of the castle.

“Come on then,” Taeyong told the boy, “let’s go and see your pet.”

 

The pet, as Taeyong had so lovingly named him, was none other than a tall, sun kissed boy. Donghyuck had run into him on his way back from the Pallidian Mountain gate. He was transfixed by the boy immediately. He’d have to be a fool to not realise that he was from Onyx, the kingdom on the other side of the Shadow mountains. Donghyuck took pity on him, obviously not accustomed to the fiercely cold weather he loved, he was dressed in a thin pair of black slacks and a loose semi-sheer dress shirt and strapped to him was an impressive blade made in Onyx. Donghyuck recognised that first, the glass handle fitted with intricate gold engravings, the blade itself being of deep black metal.

It was like magic, the first time the two boys locked eyes, an unspoken agreement that they would follow each other where ever fate would take them.

That’s exactly how they had ended up here. Donghyuck and his brother on one side of the cast iron bars, and the boy on the other.

Taeyong looked at the boy, even sitting down, playing with the leather strap of his sword holder, he could tell that he was tall, taller than Taeyong and Donghyuck. Taeyong cleared his throat and the boy looked at the prince brothers, looking like something straight out of a fairy tale book. They both were in their royal robes, the palest of blues, complimenting their skin tones, making Taeyong look like the ice in which he came from, and making Donghyuck look like they captured one of the sun’s rays and turned it into a beautiful boy. Each of the boys was surrounded with this mist that followed them where they walked, no doubt some by-product of ice wielders magic. The Onyx boy looked at his own personal sun for a fleeting second before he stood up, brushing the soft ice off his chest.

“Tell me your name.” Taeyong asked. The boy looked at the Crown Prince.

“Yukhei.” He told the princes. He tried so hard to ignore the intake of breath that came from Donghyuck, but he couldn’t. His eyes were drawn to the beautiful prince of Pallid, he wondered how such a warm person could come from such a cold place.

“Very well, Yukhei of Onyx, welcome to Pallid. I am Taeyong the First, crown prince of Pallid, and by the grace of the Goddess herself, my father has granted you sanctuary here, on one condition.” Taeyong paused for effect, “you must be on your best behaviour, one wrong move and we will throw you into the forest to be eaten by the wolves.”

Yukhei froze, he had heard the stories when he was a kid, the wolves of Pallid were feral and wouldn’t hesitate to kill anything they came across. His own father had threatened him that he would send him through the mountain gate if he ever messed up. Yukhei nodded furiously, “of course your highness.” Yukhei then bowed deeply.

The locks of the bars then clicked, and he looked towards the door, where a short girl with deep dark hair and red eyes stood. She was strapped up with so many weapons he wondered how the hell she was standing with that much weight on her. He exited the holding cell and walked closer to the princes, but he was stopped, by the hand of the short girl.

“One step closer and I’ll cut your hands off.” She told him, and Yukhei stayed where he was.

“That won’t be necessary Sooyoung,” Taeyong told her, and she stepped back and put her hands behind her back. “This is yours.” Taeyong said and handed Yukhei his blade. Yukhei then attached it back to his sling and swung it behind him, and grinned.

“Where to now?”

 

Ten had always been eccentric. Even growing up, Taeyong had always been enamoured by the man. Ten always had something new to show him, some new garment to make, some new design to draw. At first it was baffling to the young prince, they would be in conversation, then Ten would stop midsentence and disappear in a cloud of sleet. But after a few years, he got used to it, continuing the conversation exactly where it had left off, days, weeks, sometimes months after.

Ten’s wing of the castle was startlingly different the rest of the castle. Where majority of the castle was all ice and sharp edges, Ten’s wing was soft, and dark. Ten had a unique power of teleportation. He could go where ever his mind wanted in a split second and he used this to his advantage. As a child Ten had entertained Taeyong with stories of the different dimensions he had travelled to, Earth being his favourite. Ten always said earth had the best fashion, and always came back with presents for Taeyong in the form of music. Earth had such different music than Pallid, and it had always fascinated the young prince. He would sit for hours just listening to the CD’s Ten would bring back for him. Although he always he had to do this in secret, for fear of the scalding his father would give him. The first and last time he was caught, his father destroyed all of his Elton John albums. Taeyong had never cried like that before. He usually avoided doing so because his tears were small sharp pieces of ice and would cut up his eye ducts when they surfaced. Ten did bring him back the entirety of Elton John’s discovery the next time he went to Earth, but it wasn’t the point. He has never wronged his father so obviously before, and he vowed to himself that he never would again.

“Ten?” Sooyoung called out in the dark hallway.

“Yes honey?” Ten called back, the small group couldn’t tell exactly where his voice was coming from, but in that instance Ten appeared right in front of them, pulling a squeal out of Yukhei, who looked all too tall to be producing a sound such as he did.

Ten was wearing a deep purple suit, with a pair of shoes so bright, that Yukhei couldn’t stop staring. He looked down to his beaten up black sandals. His toes were so cold, not needing enclosed shoes in Onyx, where the weather was so hot that wearing clothes was sometimes a chore.

“My babies!” Ten exclaimed giving Donghyuck, Taeyong, and Sooyoung in a tight hug. The three all grinned and gave ten kisses on both his cheeks before grabbing hold Ten’s hands and bringing them to their forehead, leaving them there for a second. Yukhei knew the Pallidian’s had foreign customs, but he had never seen such sincerity coming from the legendary Ice people. After they had finished their greeting’s, Ten’s eyes fell on Yukhei.

“Brought me a present?” Ten said to his friends.

“Only the best for you my dear!” Taeyong responded, which shocked Yukhei, he didn’t expect such a jovial tone from the prince. He forgot sometimes, that Pallidian’s were beings just like him. The two shared a smile, before their eyes returned to Yukhei.

“My, my.” Ten started, walking closer to Yukhei, his eyes appraising the Onyx boy. “You are quite the man.” Ten said. Yukhei flushed, looking down to his feet. “We are going to have a lot of fun dressing you today. Come with me.” Ten said before turning on his feet and walking fast up the dark hallway. The group followed him, leaving Yukhei to chase after the Pallidian’s before he got lost.

 

“There we are” Ten said, strapping Yukhei’s blade to his chest. Yukhei looked at himself in the huge mirror that took up the entire wall of the room they were all in. Taeyong, Donghyuck, and Sooyoung were seated on a plush couch in the back of the room all nursing a mug of hot tea that never got cold. Yukhei took himself in. He almost didn’t recognise himself, save for the familiar blade strapped to his back. His new Pallidian clothes were the same shade of pale blue that the princes worn, but his wasn’t enchanted with the same wielding magic. He also didn’t have the flowing fabric draped around him. It was a simple suit, similar to what he was wearing before, but tailored for the Pallid weather. The shirt still had the semi-sheer quality, but was impossibly warm, and Ten had given him boots with the fluffiest socks that he could find. Yukhei grinned and turned to the princes and their warrior.

“This is for later.” Ten told Yukhei, handing him a gigantic thick coat, made of fur.

“What do you think?” He asked, holding his arms out to show the outfit in whole.

“You look like a true Pallidian.” Taeyong said, taking a sip of his tea and leaning back further into the couch.

“I agree,” Sooyoung said, “although it was weird seeing an Onyx out of their blacks.”

Yukhei then looked towards Donghyuck with a questioning glance. “Well?” He asked.

“You look warm.” The prince said. Yukhei wasn’t quite sure if that was a compliment or not, but he would take anything that the young prince would give him.

“Thank you,” Yukhei said, and bowed at him.

“Very well,” Ten interrupted Yukhei’s weird interaction with the prince. “I think it’s time that we ate and got to bed, the moon is tired of seeing us still up.”

 

Pallid food was weird. Yukhei hadn’t had a meal without meat in so long, if ever. He looked down at his plate of roasted vegetables and Pallidian grain with a look of distaste. It’s not that he hated vegan meals, it’s just that he was so used to the abundance of food available in Onyx. It was okay, his tongue was assaulted by the different flavours of spice that had been cooked through the grain. He would get used to the texture of the grain, he had no other choice.

“What’s wrong with your food?” Sooyoung asked from across the table. She was seated next to another girl, the same dark hair and red eyes of the warrior to the crown prince. They both looked at him, awaiting his answer.

“Nothing! It’s just very different than what I am used to eating.” Yukhei told them, his fork pushing around the weird deep green vegetable that he had never seen before in his life.

“Well its either you eat, or you starve.” Taeyong told him, pushing his empty bowl across the table. “I’m taking my leave. Goodnight Yukhei, Joohyun will show you to your room after you have finished your food.” With that, he left, Sooyoung following him out of the room, abandoning her food which she had yet to finish herself. The table was just the last four, Sooyoung, Ten, Donghyuck, and Yukhei. There was a tense silence filled with nothing but the scraping of forks along the crystal of the plate.

“I’m done.” Ten said. “Goodnight Yukhei I’ll see you later.” Ten then vanished in a cloud of sleet, electing to teleport to wherever he went rather than walking like normal beings.

“And then there was three.” Yukhei said, trying to break up the silence. Donghyuck dropped his fork at that moment and left the room without a glance towards Yukhei. He wondered what was wrong with the prince, he was sure they had shared some good feelings just this afternoon. Then again, he had never understood Pallidian’s or even other boys his age. “Okay it’s just us then.” Yukhei said, looking at Joohyun. She stared at him with her red eyes and stood up.

“Follow me I’ll show you to your sleeping place.” Yukhei did what he was told and followed the warrior down the winding glistening corridors of the ice castle. As it turned out, Yukhei was to stay in Ten’s wing, a small room at the start of the long hallway. His room was filled with small trinkets from Earth. He was intrigued by them, each holding a building with a name on the base. He picked up one filled with triangles.

“Sydney.” He read. He shook the trinket and small glitter swirled around the building and settled at the bottom after a minute.

Yukhei looked around the rest of his room, eyes falling onto the bed in the centre of the room, thick blankets covered the bed inviting him in.

“Here are some sleeping clothes,” Ten said suddenly, making Yukhei jump.

“Don’t do that!” The Onyx boy exclaimed, his hand pressed to his chest. The warrior still stood at the door giggled at him. Yukhei took the clothes and ran his fingers over fluffy clothes. “Thank you, Ten.” He said.

“My pleasure! It’s fun having a new body to dress.” Ten told him, walking towards Joohyun, and going to hold her wrist as he dragged them out of the room. “Sleep well Yukhei.” Ten said before closing the heavy door.

Yukhei stood facing the now shut door. What had he gotten himself into? He quickly changed and lay his sword on the floor next to his bed. Under the blankets he heated up quickly, the warmth reminded him of home, where the heat hugged him all day. It took him a while to fall asleep, wishing he had never chased the sun over the mountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yea,,,,,,, sorry idk if this was not at all good or interesting ;; i'd like to know what u think hehe also idk when i'll write more bc i have exams still so hopefully i can write more when im not dying of stress
> 
> come talk to me on twt: taeyongthefirst


	2. honey honey, nearly kill me

Yukhei woke with a start. There was something watching him from the corner of his room. He sat up, the mountain of blankets falling down from his chest, trying to calm his breathing and looked around the room. Even in the early morning, Pallid was still bright, the witching hour brighter than the brightest of Onyx days.

“You sleep weirdly.” Yukhei knew that voice.

“Donghyuck?” He asked. Donghyuck was standing in the doorway, in what he assumed was his pyjamas.

“I want to show you something before the rest of the castle wakes up.” He went to leave but paused, “bring a coat.”

Yukhei threw the blankets off of him fully, and quickly went to pull on his boots and the thick coat Ten had given him the previous day.

“Where are we going?” Yukhei asked, threading his arms through the sleeves of the coat. Donghyuck handed him a scarf, and he wrapped that around his neck.

“It’s a surprise.” The younger told him, pulling on Yukhei’s sleeve, he lead the Onyx boy down the hallway of Ten’s wing, towards the very far end where there was a concealed doorway. Donghyuck pushed it open and there was a cold dark stone set of stairs. He leads Yukhei down them, the boy following him obediently. When they reached the bottom, Donghyuck placed his hand up against the wall and the space surrounding his had glowed a deep turquoise and then the bricks fell away and opened up onto a huge field covered in thick snow. The breath Yukhei didn’t know he was holding fell out of his mouth, a cloud of mist he had never seen before coming out instead of the breath. The low morning sun casted a cool glow onto the quiet of the plane, the snow seeming to absorb all of the background noise. The sunrise lit up the sky in a multitude of blues, pink, yellows, and oranges. Yukhei had never seen anything like this before. He had seen the sun rise behind the mountain on lucky occasions when the dark cloud of Onyx had dispersed a fraction allowing the sun a small bit of leeway.

“I--” Yukhei didn’t know what to say.

“I thought you might like to see this.” Donghyuck said, the sun casting an orange light onto his face, giving him an ethereal glow.  Yukhei’s eyes were glued to the boy, he couldn’t help but to stare. “There’s nothing I love more about Pallid than this.”

“Thank you.” Yukhei said. Donghyuck looked up at him then, the sun hitting him again, but in a different way. When they locked eyes Yukhei thought he was being warmed up from the inside, like he was drinking hot tea. The two boys shared a smile.

 

“Well isn’t this a picture of serenity.” A voice broke the comfortable silence that had settled over them. Donghyuck jumped and separated himself from Yukhei.

“Renjun.” Donghyuck said. “Don’t you have horses to look after?” He asked. The boy, Renjun, smiled.

“Don’t you have a father to impress?” Donghyuck knew Renjun’s main prerogative in life, besides looking after the horses, was to make his life as difficult and miserable as possible. It hurt, as Renjun probably wanted it to, so Donghyuck did the only thing he could think of. He stuck his tongue out at the stable boy and pulled on Yukhei’s sleeve and went back inside the castle.

 

Yukhei could tell that there had been a shift in the way that Donghyuck was treating him. He was so hot and cold all the time. One moment he felt that he and Donghyuck had some amazing current flowing between them, and then in an instant it would fizzle out and die. It was infuriating.

“My prince.” Joohyun said with a bow once the two boys had reached the top of the hidden staircase. “Your presence is required at breakfast. You too, Yukhei of Onyx.” Joohyun’s long dark hair was braided back today, making her sharp features stand out more. In the shaded hallway her eyes glowed a brighter crimson than the night before, making Yukhei shiver. She was intimidating, but could he expect anything less from the personal warrior to the princes of Pallid?

Breakfast was a similar affair as dinner the night before. Tense silence, cutlery clinking against crystal plates. Yukhei ached for the warmth and comfort of Onyx, he missed spending all day looking over Johnny and Ollie, he missed the sweat that ran down his brow at the height of the day. He wondered what was keeping him in Pallid. Why did he stay? Yukhei looked across the table at Donghyuck and his heart clenched. That was why he stayed. Yukhei was never a person that gave up on something, no matter how hard it may be, no matter how much pain he was put through, he was going to stick to it until the bitter end.

 

After breakfast Joohyun invited Yukhei to sword practice with the triplets. He would never deny an offer of duelling, and to spend time with the three princes?

Ten supplied him with some more comfortable clothes to duel in, a pair of white slacks with flexibility in them, a warm skivvy, and a pair of his very own snow shoes. Yukhei looked down at the shoes, marvelling at the way the sound of his foot falls completely disappeared against the floor. He knew he looked foolish, stepping back and forth in the training room trying to catch the sound of his shoes. So perhaps it shouldn’t have been a shock when a shrill laugh rang out in the training room. He looked up and saw the two of the triplets he had yet to meet, Prince Mark and Prince Jeno. They were just as mesmerising as their brothers. Jeno had pale white hair making him look as soft as the snow that fell outside. Mark kept his hair dark, reminding Yukhei of the trees that stood tall, dark branches making the snow seem even more impossibly white.

Yukhei dropped into a polite bow, his hair falling in front of his eyes, obstructing his vision. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Yukhei said.

“The pleasure is all ours,” Mark said. “Hyuck has not stopped talking about you since he got back from the mountains, it’s been exhausting.” He said with a laugh. Yukhei felt a blush creep up the back of his neck.

“Yea! I had the worst night’s sleep last night, it took him hours to finally shut up.” Jeno interjected.

“Oh…” Yukhei didn’t know how to respond. Mostly he was confused. He didn’t know how to act around Donghyuck. And like he knew Yukhei was just thinking about him, the final triplet walked into the room, wearing matching clothes to his brothers. Donghyuck’s eyes scanned over Yukhei before landing on his brothers.

“Good morning.” Donghyuck said, leaning down to touch his toes.

“Hyuck, where did you disappear off to this morning?” Mark asked, sitting down on the floor and stretching as well. Donghyuck looked at Yukhei for a moment, before focusing his attention back to himself.

“Went out for a walk.” He told Mark with a shrug. Mark smirked. “perhaps you shouldn’t ask questions you already know the answers to, brother.” Donghyuck added. Mark let out an annoyed breath and looked up at Jeno.

“Are you hearing this?”

“I am, unfortunately.” Jeno answered.

The boys all stretched in silence, until Joohyun and Sooyoung walked in, pulling a rack of practice swords in with them.

“The practice swords, Joohyun, really? How old are we?” Jeno scoffed.

“Bold of you to assume these swords aren’t going to be for your benefit.” Joohyun said. The comment baffled the princes, they all shared an equally confused look before looking back at the warrior.

“For a prince you three seem to be exceedingly uneducated.” Sooyoung said with a sigh, pulling the heavy blunt swords off of the rack, and placing them on the soft flooring. “If you’re not following, its general knowledge that Onyx people are trained from a young age in sword battle and are very good at it. Much better than all three of you could ever dream of being.”

“Wow okay, anything else you’d like to get off of your chest, Sooyoung?” Jeno said, crossing his arms with a huff.

“Well now that you bring it up,” Sooyoung started, a sly smile spreading across her face.

“That, my good friend, was a rhetorical question, meaning that you don’t have to answer it!” Jeno retorted.

“I’m quite aware of what it means young prince, I sat through class just like you did!” Sooyoung shot back.

“Okay! You two, that’s enough!” Joohyun interrupted the two before their bickering overtook the entire point of this meeting. “Let’s all pick up a sword and see what we’re dealing with.” The warrior said, looking towards the Onyx boy, holding out a sword big enough for him to hold. Yukhei took it and put his own sword to the outskirts of the practice room. He threw the sword between his hands, getting a feel for the weight and balance of the blade. It had been years since he had held a practice sword, he must have been in his early childhood. It felt familiar in an odd way. But with every good memory of his home town, came a bad one.

“Since we now have an equal number of students in this class we can all pair up.” Joohyun said, looking towards Sooyoung with a smile.

“Jeno, partner?” Mark said before Donghyuck could ask him. The remaining prince then looked across the mat at his own partner, Yukhei. Yukhei grinned big and bright before walking over to Donghyuck.

“Just us two then.” The onyx boy said holding his huge sword easily, leaning it against his shoulder, making it look more like an accessory rather than what it was.

“I assume so.” Donghyuck said with a sigh, stepping back into a starting position, holding his sword out slightly in front of his chest. “Shall we?”

Yukhei mirrored the princes position. “We shall.” They both touched swords gently at first before launching into their duel. For the most part Donghyuck kept up with Yukhei. Meeting each one of his strikes with a firm block, sometimes getting in an attack of his own. Yukhei was happily surprised, he didn’t expect the prince to be as good as he was, so he decided to stop holding back. Increasing his strength and speed of attack, he swirled around the shorter boy, catching him in surprise. Donghyuck struggled to protect himself, his arms shaking in effort at each clash of blades. With a final hard hit, Donghyuck’s arms gave out and dropped to his side, the practice sword falling to the mat. Yukhei blade was up against the prince’s neck, the two boys’ chests very close. So close that Yukhei’s breath tickled Donghyuck’s cheeks. He could see each eyelash that flutters against his cheeks as he blinked. Donghyuck was incredibly lovely up close, Yukhei’s eyes darting over his whole face trying to drink him in. Memorising how his skin looked, where each mole sat on his face. Finally, Yukhei looked into Donghyuck’s eyes, for a brief moment it was like they could understand each other on a different level, like everything else in the room faded to a dull roar and it was just the two of them, breathing loudly, the cold of the blade on Donghyuck’s neck.

“Do you give up?” Yukhei said, voice just above a whisper.

“I never give up, Yukhei.” Donghyuck responded. It was the most unsure the prince had ever sounded in his life. The usually confident and sure-footed prince was lost. Beaten by a lost puppy he had picked up on the side of the road. Their moment was interrupted by the sound of a sword hitting the floor past the mat.

“Mark you imbecile! Did you forget how to hold a sword properly?” Jeno yelled, his voice shrill, filling up the almost empty room.

“Sorry Jeno, not everyone can be as great and amazing as you are.” Mark retorted sarcastically.

It was then that Yukhei and Donghyuck realised just how close they were to each other. Donghyuck took a quick step back, ignoring the searching of Yukhei’s eyes that were still trained on him. Like they were two magnets drawn to each other. It took longer than Yukhei would like to admit for him to calm his breathing. It wasn’t the sword fight that made him lose his breath, no, it was being way too close to Donghyuck. He needed to calm down. Everything about Donghyuck made him feel so alive.

“Yukhei, as expected, your technique is incredible.” Joohyun said, a smile gracing her face making her seem pretty. The red in her eyes wasn’t scary anymore, it was almost friendly. Her long black hair slicked back into braids, sweat glistening slightly on the top of her forehead. Joohyun was always pretty, Yukhei thought, but not in the way most things were pretty. She was pretty like the ice that surrounded Pallid. Beautiful, yes, but ice was killer, sharp enough to cut you, cold enough to burn, alluring enough to lull you into a false sense of security before it trips you.

“Thank you,” Yukhei said falling into a bow. “That means a lot coming from you Joohyun.”

“Hush!” Joohyun said, pushing on his arm. “Flattery does nothing for me!” Joohyun still had a slight flush on her cheeks, colouring her pale skin. Perhaps the top warrior of Pallid didn’t get praise as much as she deserved. “Another round?” The warrior asked.

“It would be my honour.”

 

That was how they spent the majority of the day. Duelling back and forth. Joohyun and Sooyoung were amazing swordsman. Pallid training was different than Onyx training. But Yukhei knew he was still yards ahead of them in talent. After a few rounds they picked up their real blades. The princes tapped out after the second round, choosing instead to sit on the side to observe. Mark and Jeno bickering the whole time, and Donghyuck sitting beside them, eyes trained on Yukhei, watching him fight with the two girls that had taught him everything he knew. Donghyuck still couldn’t work out Yukhei. He wasn’t sure if he had drunk enough water the day he decided that Yukhei would be coming with him. He really should’ve left him on the outskirts of the mountain forest to freeze. That’s what is father would’ve done, and really, it’s what Donghyuck should have done as well. But he was confused, how did the boy get through the mountain gate in the first place? It had been centuries since it had opened to a citizen from Onyx, old and powerful magic kept the two nations apart. Donghyuck strained to remember his history classes from when he was younger. He knew for sure that there was an important reason Pallid and Onyx could never be in real contact with each other. He wished he knew where this weird feud between them had started. But ever since he had been born he’s been raised with this hatred for them. Which made his fascination with Yukhei all the more confusing.

Donghyuck was pulled out of his thoughts by the silence of the room, which before was full of swords clashing. Yukhei was panting, a huge smile on his face, blade in one hand and the other rubbing a spot below his shoulder blade.

“Are you alright Yukhei?” Joohyun asked. Concern plaguing her face.

“I’m fine, my shoulder is a bit sore though. It has been a while since I’ve exerted myself this much.” Yukhei said, pulling a giggle from the warrior. Donghyuck couldn’t recall a moment where he had ever heard the girl giggle. He looked to his right to see his brothers still engrossed in their conversation, completely oblivious to the rest of them.

“Maybe we should call it for the day, it’s getting late.” Sooyoung said, already packing away the swords into the rack which they came from. “Dinner would be soon anyway.” She finished pulling the latch across the heavy practice swords.

“Thank you for today, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.” Yukhei said to the room, making eye contact with the two warriors and then the princes, lingering on Donghyuck’s, as they seemed to always do.

With that, they all left the room, heading to their respective quarters.

 

Dinner was the same as the previous night, plenty of Pallidian grains with roasted winter vegetables. Donghyuck watched Yukhei play with his food from across the table. He wondered what was so disgusting to Yukhei about the food. Was it the texture? The taste? The lack of meat? Donghyuck let out a soft frustrated breath. He was sick of wondering about Yukhei all the time. He also wished he could work him out. Donghyuck was sick of staring at Yukhei so he stood up, interrupting the table, “I’m going to see Yuta.” His brothers looked at him strangely. Donghyuck knew what they were thinking. He also knew that he never announced what he was going to do as if he was looking for permission. A prince didn’t need permission from no one. Deep down Donghyuck knew he was only telling the table for Yukhei’s benefit. He looked right at the Onyx boy, his brown hair floppy and damp from his bath, the light end of his dark hair complimenting his eyes and face, everything about him was enchanting.

“Yukhei? Would you like to meet Yuta?” The question wasn’t supposed to come out of his mouth. _Stupid, stupid._ It sounded so desperate, it made Donghyuck feel sick.

“Of course!” Yukhei said, dropping his spoon to the table a loud clank resounding through the otherwise quiet room. He could hear Jeno snicker from beside him and it took all of his restraint to not kick him in the shin. Yukhei pushed out his chair and rounded the table following in step behind the prince.

“Who is Yuta?” Yukhei asked when they were alone in the long corridor.

“He’s the ice wielder. Everything in this castle was made by him. He’s also ancient, so don’t bring his age up it’s a touchy subject.”

Yukhei looked at the prince, confusion displayed brightly on his face. He seemed to have two modes; fully open, or fully shut. His face showed a lot of emotion a lot of the time. It was a weakness that Donghyuck picked up early on.

“How old—?” Yukhei started.

“I’m not too sure exactly. He’s been ancient for as long as I can remember. Taeyong said he’s always been there for as long as he can remember as well, and Taeyong is three times older than me at least. So, there’s no telling really.” Donghyuck lead him around a sharp corner and there stood a large thick door made completely of ice. Yukhei shivered.

“It’s so cold.”

“You get used to it, we call him the abominable snow man.” Donghyuck paused, “don’t tell him that either.”

The prince walked closer to that door, lifting his hand up to the ice, placing his hand over the door knob. The prince was completely still, before his eyes shot open, the usual dark honey brown colour frosted over, his hair blown back by an invisible wind. The door creaked and slid to the side letting the two boys in.

“What was that!” Yukhei exclaimed. He knew that the people of Pallid had powers, the royal family famous for how much power they wielded but he had never heard of the younger princes holding any power at all.

“It’s the only way Yuta will see me.” Donghyuck ignored how the Onyx boys mouth was wide open. He gestured for him to follow him into the room.  “Oh stop, it’s not like you’ve ever seen a wielder before.”

“That’s not the point.” Yukhei barked.

Donghyuck ignored him with a scoff, walking further into the darkened room. “Are you coming? Are do you want to stay here and freeze?”

Yukhei let out a humph and scrambled after the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay!! finally an update!!  
> ALSO i finished all my exams WORST FUCKING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!!!!!! 
> 
> let me know how you found the chapter!! it means a lot to me when ppl comment ;-;  
> catch up with me on twitter: taeyongthefirst
> 
> MWAH!


	3. every dream i have's about you

Yuta’s quarters were dark, and so cold. Walking in, Yukhei noticed that time didn’t seem to move. There weren’t any windows, so you had no idea if the sun was up or the moon was. He followed Donghyuck down a seemingly endless hallway, every now and again there would be a door, but each time Donghyuck ignored it, continuing on.

Faintly, in the background, Yukhei started to hear music playing softly. It wasn’t like the music he was used to listening to. It wasn’t melodic, or trance inducing like Onyx music was. There was a brash strumming of guitar, paired with a voice that sounded way too angry to be romantic. When they finally got to where Yuta was, there he was in the middle of a sitting area throwing his body around in a way that Yukhei could only assume was dancing. Donghyuck and Yukhei stood side by side, sharing the same expression of shock. Yuta looked up at the boys, and instead of being embarrassed like any sane person would, he pointed his finger to Donghyuck and serenaded him. Donghyuck lit up, the smile on his face making the room brighter. Yukhei’s chest filled with warmth as well, his very own sun making him bloom.

The song ended, and Yuta walked up to the boys. “How are you, Hyuckie?” Yuta directed to Donghyuck, leaning his forehead against Donghyuck’s in that weird Pallidian greeting. After a few moments Donghyuck answered. “I’m okay.” Yuta returned the princes’ smile.

“And who is this?” Yuta asked, looking towards Yukhei.

“This is Yukhei of Onyx.” Donghyuck supplied, and the wielder stopped.

“Of Onyx? Haven’t heard that title in a long time.” Yuta said, looking Yukhei up and down. Yukhei felt exposed under his gaze, instinctively crossing his arms across his chest trying to cover himself from Yuta. “What are you doing in this place then? Bored of being belittled?”

Yukhei frowned, choosing not to respond.

“Uhm,” Donghyuck hummed. He looked to Yukhei hoping to convey his apology through his eyes. But Yukhei seemed somewhat indifferent. Donghyuck could sense that Yukhei had some deep unresolved issues with his hometown, jumbled feelings towards the place, which he could empathise with. “We did come here to talk to you though, Yuta.” Donghyuck said trying to shift the tension that fell over the room.

“Is that so? What did you want to ask about?” Yuta said, shuffling to the sofa that was closest towards him, he sank down in the plush seat, gesturing to the couch that sat opposite his own. The two boys sat down next to each other, sinking into the cushion as well. Their knees were so close Donghyuck feel the heat from Yukhei’s leg seep into his own. His heart beat increased into a panic, he just hoped to Goddess that Yukhei couldn’t feel the panic he was feeling.

“Oh yes, Yukhei would like to know more about the ice wielding powers.”

“I do?” Yukhei confusedly asked. Donghyuck shot him a pointed look, which said more than words ever could. Yukhei quickly understood what he was trying to convey.

“Ah! Yes, please Yuta, tell me more about the ice powers. I noticed that Hyuck could wield as well. I wasn’t aware that anyone but Prince Taeyong had wielding powers.”

Great. Donghyuck thought. No one but Yuta and his brothers ever called him Hyuck. It almost felt too intimate coming from Yukhei. Like he knew way too much about his life than he was comfortable with him knowing after only a week. But on the other hand, it fell from his lips so easily, it was hard not to replay that moment over and over in his mind. Hyuck. Hyuck. Hyuck. Yukhei’s Onyx drawl was so comforting, and it sounded so good when it was his name he was saying.

“Hyuck are you hot? You’re awfully red.” Yuta interrupted his thoughts.

“What are you talking about? You practically live inside a frozen cave Yuta. Why would I be hot?” Donghyuck defended himself quickly. Yuta smirked.

“Are you sure? I can cool the room down more if you want? Your cheeks are glowing.” It was then Hyuck realised what he was doing. He sometimes forgot how much Yuta actually knew about him.

“No, Yuta, I am fine as I am.”

“If you’re sure, Hyuck.” Yuta said, his voice so patronising it took all Donghyuck had in him not to stand up and deck him right in his face. Yuta laughed, confirming to Donghyuck that he knew exactly what the young prince was thinking.

“If it got any colder in here I think Yukhei would freeze.” Donghyuck said, hyper aware of the way Yukhei was shivering. Yukhei shot him a thankful smile, and shuffled closer to him, for warmth, Hyuck thought.

“As I was saying, wielding powers take years to mature, and even then, they are weak. The longer you’re alive, the stronger they get. Donghyuck is extremely talented in his wielding powers. At his age his brother was nowhere near the maturity level Donghyuck’s powers are at.” Yuta explained to Yukhei.

“Wow, that’s amazing. You’re amazing Hyuck.” There it was again. That damned word. Donghyuck took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure. Yuta sniggered, leaning back into the couch, his shorts riding up his legs. It was astonishing that Yuta never felt the cold like the rest of them did. Yukhei was bundled up in layers of clothes, and he was still freezing. Donghyuck himself had a tolerance to the cold, but it was nothing like Yuta.

They spent the rest of the night talking to Yuta, his past grievances forgotten. On their way back Donghyuck couldn’t help but notice Yukhei keep rubbing his shoulder.

“Are you okay? Did you hurt your shoulder?” He asked, trying to reign in the desperate worry that he felt in his mind.

“Yea, I think it was from the sword practice we had, haven’t exerted myself that hard in a long time, so I might have just pulled a muscle, or something.” Yukhei replied, massaging his shoulder blade. He looked so uncomfortable in his own skin, it pulled a deep frown onto Donghyuck’s face.

“If you need anything I’m sure Sooyoung can help you, she and the healer are close.” Donghyuck told him, pausing at the end of Yuta’s hallway.

“Thank you, Hyuck.” Yukhei smiled. Suddenly everything felt like it was going to be okay. The two boys parted then, heading to their own beds.

 

Just as always, the table at breakfast was painfully quiet and tense. The king and queen had this way of making everything so awful for everyone. As soon as they entered the room the happy mood drained out and a heavy uncomfortable feeling settled over them instead. Donghyuck picked at his porridge, pushing the sludge around the bowl until it got too cool to eat. His older brother, Taeyong, looked worse for wear. Over the course of his life Donghyuck had always known his brother to look like he does, deep blue under eye bags, making his eyes seem deep and sunken. His skin over the years kept getting paler, losing his signature Pallidian glow. He was sick, that is what the whole country thought. He stopped going out as much as his father wanted him to. When Donghyuck was younger, Taeyong used to come into his room in the early hours of the morning to sit and talk to him. They would talk about everything, the kingdom, the stories of the forest wolves Joohyun tried to scare them with. Usually Hyuck would just listen to Taeyong ramble about the dreams he had in the few hours of sleep he could get. They usually entailed him running towards something he could never reach in time. Taeyong didn’t know how long he had, and right before he would get there, he would wake up. His brain still racing, and after that he could never fall back asleep, too anxious to even try.

Sometimes Hyuck thought his closeness with Taeyong alienated him from Mark and Jeno, the two always off in their own little world, and Hyuck felt like he was intruding. So, he never tried to insert himself into their conversations, choosing to instead talk with Taeyong.

“Your mother and I will be making a trip to Seaway.” His father addressed the room, loudly, interrupting Hyuck’s thoughts. “There has been a breakthrough in the ice caps, and it seems that we might have a colony of fish that have been born.”

Fish? In Pallid? Donghyuck doesn’t remember what fish tastes like, it has been too long since he has tasted any meat at all.

“Really?” Taeyong asked, setting his spoon down next to his bowl. “How many centuries has it been?”

“Too many. That’s why is essential that your mother and I go and see the town ourselves.” The king adjusted the fur coat on his shoulders. “We will be leaving after breakfast. Taeyong, I am leaving you in charge of general Capital business for the time we are gone. The deep winter festival is soon, and you will need to oversee the capital’s citizens preparations and make a speech on the night. I’m sure you will do exceptionally. I’m counting on you to boost their confidence in you.” The king always spoke in commands, asking too much from people, expecting the very best.

“Of course, father.” Taeyong told his father, sitting up straight, making him look regal. Donghyuck looked at the tenseness throughout Taeyong’s body. He sounded so sure of himself, but all up his back he looked uncomfortable.

“Very well,” the king said, looking at his wife next to him. “We should see you in four cycles of the moon.” The king then looked at Donghyuck. “Make sure your Onyx pet behaves Donghyuck, or there will be consequences.” Donghyuck gulped audibly, nodding furiously.

“I would never let you down.” He said, the tone of his voice

“Mark, Jeno.” The king looked to the other two triplets. “Please keep up with your studies, I’d hate for you to embarrass yourselves in public at the festival.” The king grimaced at the two young princes, and then gathered himself and got up from the table, his wife following shortly after him. The table watched them as they left the room. When the heavy door of the dining room shut a communal breath was released.

“Is he always this lovely to be around?” Yukhei asked. Sooyoung and Joohyun both giggled. Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

“Unfortunately.” Jeno responded, shovelling the remainder of his porridge into his mouth.

“Seaway is a long way from here, I really doubt they will only be gone for four cycles of the moon. I’m predicting six, at least.” Mark said.

“Are we taking wagers now?” Jeno asked his brother, a smile on his face.

“I don’t see why not. Person with the closest number of cycles to the actual return of the king wins.” Mark offered the table.

“And what does the loser have to do?” Jeno questioned, his eyes twinkling in mischievousness.

“Loser has to help Sicheng clean the forge for three cycles of the moon.” A chorus of groans resounded throughout the room.  “Deal?” Mark asked after everyone had stopped making noise.

“Of course!” Jeno told his brother, slapping him on the back with a loud thwack.  

They sometimes forgot, that they were just young people. With the weight of their roles and expectations holding them down.  Donghyuck felt a small smile rise on his face. Maybe these next few moon cycles will be good for them, without the king and queen breathing down their necks. He then looked towards where Yukhei sat, in between Sooyoung and Joohyun. They were talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. Every time Yukhei spoke the two girls would giggle, a blush remaining on the highs of their cheeks. He understood how they felt, everything about Yukhei was so damn overwhelming, it was sometimes a struggle to even contain himself. If it weren’t for the ice power, he had inherited form his parents he would constantly being even more of a blushing mess than he was. He cooled his hands and brought them to his cheeks to cool them down. Damn Yukhei.

 

 

Johnny woke with a start. Sweat ran down the back of his neck, but that wasn’t what concerned him. Ollie sat at the foot of his bed whining loudly. Ollie never cried.

“What’s wrong?” He asked the dog, his brown fur silky in the dim light the Onyx did provide. Ollie walked from the bed and went out to the door of Johnny’s hut. Johnny followed him, pulling on his work boots as he went. It had been this for the past week. Yukhei had disappeared, and Johnny had no clue to where he went. Of course, he had thought he went back to the capital, but it wasn’t like Yukhei to up and leave without saying anything, without leaving a note. Like always, Ollie lead him to the path that lead him up to the mountain pass.

“Ollie! We are not going up there!” Johnny’s voice raised, he was annoyed. Ollie continued on, leading him up the path, and veered off going towards a lone dying tree. On one of the higher branches sat a crow.  A shiver ran down Johnny’s back. He knew that crow, and when the crow came, it only meant one thing. Doyoung. He was being summoned to the capital. Johnny swore.

“What day is it?” Johnny asked out loud, looking down at his companion. He asked like Ollie was going to tell him. But Johnny already knew what day it was, a day past when Yukhei usually would check in with the capital for a progress report.

The crow let out a loud squawk and flew off towards the river. Johnny sighed and looked down at what he was wearing. The singlet he was wearing hung off his frame, and the daggy shorts were loose around his hips, being kept up by an old length of rope. This would have to do. He followed the crow towards the river, Ollie in tow. He pulled the boat off the shore and pulled it to the water.

“Johnny.” A voice spoke just as he was about to get into the boat. He jumped out of his skin and turned quickly on the balls of his feet. There stood Ten, dressed in an elaborate velvet suit, something only a Pallidian would wear. The blue of the velvet stood out on his skin, his long black hair falling into his eyes. Wrapped around his neck was a huge thick scarf, isolating his head from his body, only seeing the tops of his head. In pallid this was standard wear, but here in Onyx someone would be thought of as out of their mind to ever wear this much clothing. Ten’s hair was already coated in sweat on his forehead.

“What are you doing here?” Johnny asked, quickly tying the boat back down and rushing over to Ten. Ten laughed lightly, unwrapping the scarf from his neck.

“I have something important to tell you.” He held the scarf in his hands and started to loosen the buttons on his shirt.

“Well come inside, quickly, I’m not alone.” Ten looked around cautiously, before letting Johnny usher him inside the hut, a hand on the lower half of his back.

When they got inside, Ten took of his coat, and pushed his hair off his forehead. “We have a problem. A big one.”

“And that would be?” Johnny started.

“Yukhei.” Ten finished. Johnny let out a sigh.

“How did he get into Pallid?” Johnny asked the Pallidian standing in his room.

“Not entirely sure, Prince Donghyuck picked him up on his way back from the Mountains last week. It took some convincing from Taeyong to even get him to stay as an actual person and not a prisoner locked up in the dungeon. The king wanted to kick him out in the cold and let him die there.”

Johnny swore under his breath, running his hands through his hair.

“Are you okay?” Ten asked Johnny.

“I’m fine, happy even, just to know he’s okay. I just,” he paused, leaning his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, gathering his thoughts, “I don’t know what I’m going to tell Doyoung and the court.” Johnny looked back at Ten, his eyes searching his old friend’s face. After a beat he asked, “did Yukhei recognise you at all?”

“Not at all, the boy is so dense I don’t think he even knew who I was. He’s never actually met me you know John.” Ten reminded him.

“I know, I know. I just worry sometimes, this whole thing we have going on is dangerous. The court could find out at any moment, and the only reason they let me live up here alone is because I grow their food.” Johnny looked at Ollie from the window, sniffing around the boat.

“I’m surprised they didn’t ask questions about Ollie.” Ten said with a laugh.

“I don’t think it matters as long as they get the boat load of food from me each cycle. I don’t cause any problems for them, and they don’t cause any for me.” Johnny was always cautious about his job life and his secret friendship with the Pallidian. But it wasn’t good that Ten had shown up in the middle of the day outside where anyone could be watching.

“Speaking of trouble, I should get back the Pallid, who knows what Yukhei is doing.” Ten said, putting his clothes back on. “The warriors are quite taken with the boy, you should see them. Both giggling messes around him, its cute.” He finished wrapping the scarf back around his neck. “Not to mention Prince Donghyuck. I haven’t seen him as flustered as he is around Yukhei ever in his life. That boy is carved from ice, inside and out.” Ten said, and with that his form evaporated into the air, leaving behind a cloud of sleet. The sleet landed on the floor and melted immediately.

Ten always came in a rush and left in one. Johnny would think he would be used to it by now after all this time, but he wasn’t.

 

The boat ride along the river of mist always calmed Johnny down. He loved watching the scenery change around him. The trees thinning out, the air becoming heavier around him. This time, however, Doyoung’s crow was following him. It would fly ahead and land on a branch and wait for his boat to totter along the river to where he sat, and then fly off again. It set Johnny on edge, thoughts swirling around his mind like a hurricane, thoughts whirling to the front, and then another would replace it. He was so caught up worrying about Yukhei and Doyoung, that he didn’t even pause to think about his dreams. They were getting worse, the same dream over and over again each night. Running towards the same boy but never getting there in time. If it weren’t for the mixture of herbs he took each night that knocked him out for long enough that he could rest his body and mind.

By the time Johnny got to the Capital he was worn out from thinking too much. He groaned when he pulled the boat to the wharf and tying it to a free dock.

“Johnny, welcome home.” Kun’s voice was as stiff as it always was around him in public. Kun was dressed in the usual Onyx outfit. Sheer black shirt paired with silk shorts and a pair of sandals.

“Kun, nice to see you again.” Johnny bowed politely and followed Kun down the wharf. At the end was a carriage waiting for him. The dark horses looked restless as Johnny approached him. Wielders were treated differently in Onyx, they were beings to be feared. Stronger than normal citizens, powers they couldn’t ever begin to comprehend. As much as Johnny loved his home, he wished this tension didn’t exist.

“After you.” Kun said, opening the door to the carriage. Johnny got in, and Kun shuffled in after him. When the door shut behind them Johnny let out a deep breath. “Gods, am I happy to see you again.” Kun said, pulling Johnny into a hug. It had been too many cycles since they last saw each other.

“The feeling is mutual.” Johnny’s voice came out muffled, his face squished into the crook of Kun’s neck.  Being out in public was hard for a wielder. Being friends with a non-wielder was even harder. There were certain standards of behaviour one had to follow under the watchful gaze of the general public. And if you didn’t adhere to them, you were killed. “How are you, brother?” Johnny asked after pulling out of the embrace. The carriage shook when the horses started to move.

“I’m fine. Running the palace, keeping Doyoung in check. You know, the usual.” Kun said to Johnny. The wielder laughed. As much as he loved the seclusion of his farms, he missed his friends.

“Doyoung still as high strung as normal?”

“Would it be Doyoung if he wasn’t?” They both shared another laugh. That was how the rest of the ride carried on. Johnny took a moment to look out the window to stare at the lake of light when they passed it. No matter how many times he saw it, it still took his breath away each time. The whole city was lit up around it, the light stolen from its sister in Pallid, the water ice cold, and bright. Onyx was dark, all the time. They got dark during the day, and even darker during the night. The Lake of Light offering the people of Onyx a break from the darkness they lived in.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Kun said in a hushed tone.

“I never get tired of it.” Johnny’s voice was just above a whisper.

“We’re here.” A voice form outside the carriage sounded. The two boys split apart, both putting on their bored faces.

 

The royal castle of Onyx was carved out of deep stone that glistened under the soft light the came from the lake, making it look like a star in the sky. It was beautiful. But as beautiful as it was, it was home to some of the worst people Johnny knew. Even though he was a wielder himself, he never felt at home around other wielders in Onyx. They all thought so differently to him, looking down upon those who weren’t born with powers. It disgusted Johnny to look down on a person purely because of what they were born with. Because he thought like this, his community ostracised him. They treated him with hostility, and he could never breathe properly around him. It made his relationships with his friends hard, forcing him to move away from the castle, only ever getting to see them briefly when he came down to deliver the produce, or when something important needed to be discussed, like now. All the wielders wore long capes adorned with iridescent stars the shone when they walked. Wielders thought that the way you looked was an important part of how you come across to others, no matter who you were or what power you possessed. If you looked like a king, then people would treat you like one.

Johnny looked down at his pyjamas. He wasn’t dressed for court.

“Johnny.” Seungwon stood before him, her dress as elaborate as always. She never went anywhere without looking like her best. Her presence demanded attention, and people always gave it to her. Johnny fell into a deep bow.

“Seungwon, it’s always a pleasure to see you.” Seungwon beamed at Johnny, revelling in the compliment.

“Come with me, Doyoung is itching to see you.” Seungwon told Johnny. She strutted off into the large front door of the castle, her dress flowing behind her. Kun pushed at Johnny, and he followed the girl. The castle was the same as it always was. Dark, lit only by lanterns that hung on the walls. Each hallway fell into the next, corners came every now and again until the small group came to a stop in front an iron cast door. It opened with a groan with aid from the two guards that stood beside it. The group walked in. The polished marble of the floor reflected Johnny’s face back at him.

The court room was filled with the finest Onyx had to offer. A long table sat in the middle of the room, with tall elegant chairs placed around it. At the head sat Doyoung looking as powerful as always. His face was harsh, and when Doyoung was in court mode he scared Johnny. To Doyoung’s left sat the princess of Onyx, Yerim. Yerim was Johnny’s most favourite person. She always wore bright pink dresses and was a beacon of light in this dark, awful place. Her brother, Prince Chenle, sat next to her, playing with his nails. To the right of Doyoung was the representative of the Wielders party, Zagan. He was an evil looking man. He was tall, and his dark features scared most people. His skin was a deep tan colour, only complimenting the dark shade of his eyes. Johnny hated Zagan, and he didn’t like using the word hate all too often. Zagan didn’t particularly like Johnny either, so they both had an unspoken agreement to avoid each other at all cost. Standing behind Yerim was Seulgi, her twin Onyx blades strapped to her sides, glimmering under the dim lighting of the lanterns. Seulgi was a forced to be reckoned with, her blade skills unrivalled in the entirety of Onyx. She would not hesitate to cut someone up if they looked her in the wrong way. Johnny looked down at the long scar on his arm, he had been on the receiving end of her wrath.

“Welcome Johnny, it’s good to see you, even if it’s under these circumstances.” Doyoung said, his voice loud in the quiet room. The prince of Onyx gestured to the empty seat at the opposite end of the table to himself. Johnny took a seat, Kun to the right of him, and Seungwon sat next to Zagan. “It has come to my attention the Yukhei has disappeared.” His words hung in the air. Johnny had plenty of time to think of what to say to the court, but he was still at a loss for words.

“Yes, Yukhei has left me. I’m unsure of his whereabouts at this moment. There haven’t been any clues to where he might be. I fear for the worst, your highness.” Johnny said, trying to placate the court.

“That really isn’t good enough!” Zagan yelled, bringing his fist down onto the table, making it shake. Johnny winced at the sound.

“I’m aware that it isn’t the best, but there are absolutely no clues for me to go off of, I have no idea where he is. There was nothing!” Johnny was getting frustrated. Zagan was hard to deal with in normal circumstances, but now when they were dealing with something of importance to the kingdom, he was impossible to work with. Johnny wish Zagan didn’t have as much power as he did over Doyoung and the kingdom. Lying to him was risky, Zagan had the power to kill him in a snap of a finger.

“What are you going to do about it then?” The question was harsh coming out of Zagan’s mouth.

“There is nothing I can do, Zagan. Maybe you should enlist one of your wielders with more power than me to help.” Johnny suggested, his voice was unkind in that moment. Zagan let out an annoyed humph and got out of his chair, the feet scraping along the marble hurting Johnny’s ears.

“If you’re going to sit there and undermine my authority I am leaving.” Zagan said and left the room in a huff.

The group was silent for a few minutes after he left, not knowing what to do. Johnny looked at Yerim, and she smiled at him, so he returned it, suddenly feeling a lot better.

“Court adjourned for now.” Doyoung said, pushing his chair back as well, exiting the room through the same door as Zagan had just left.

Kun sighed and pulled on Johnny’s singlet and led him out of the room, the prince and princess following Seulgi out of the room.

 

Johnny, Seulgi, Yerim, Chenle, Kun, and Doyoung all reconvened in the waiting room of Doyoung’s quarters. As soon as the door shut, and the lock clicked into place, Yerim ran straight into Johnny’s arms. She squealed as he spun he around in his arms.

“I missed you so much!” Yerim said between squeals of delight.

“I missed you more, that I can assure you.” Johnny said placing the princess back down on the floor. Johnny went around the room and gave hugs out to all of them. This group was close, they always had been growing up, Johnny looking over them with a loving gaze of a parent none of them ever had.

“Where are Jaemin and Jisung?” Johnny asked after everyone had greeted him.

“They’re still in the kitchen, Chef has them under an iron grip, they’ve been acting up recently.” Doyoung explained.

“Typical.” Johnny sighed.

“It is Jaemin and Jisung we’re talking about, though.” Yerim said, nudging Johnny with her elbow.

“Just wondering how old they will have to be before they decide to actually grow up.”

“I really doubt they will ever grow up and mature.” Chenle said. The group shared a laugh. Johnny missed this, having a good time with those he held dear to his heart. But it was obvious that something was missing. The group didn’t feel complete without Yukhei, without the noise he brought with him.

“So,” Johnny said, settling down into one of the many chairs strewn around the room, “I’m sure you all want to know about Yukhei.”

“Yes! Stupid question.” Yerim said, sitting down next to Johnny. “Spill.”

“He’s in Pallid.” He said in matter of fact way.

The room exploded in a chorus of what’s?

“I’m afraid you know about as much as I do.” Johnny told them. “I woke up one day and he was gone without a trace.”

“He left nothing? No note?” Doyoung asked, petting his crow that sat calmly on his arm.

“Nothing.” Johnny confirmed. “I didn’t even know he was in Pallid until right before I left for the capital. Ten came to tell me he was in Pallid. He said one of the triplets found him near the mountains.”

“The mountains?” Chenle gasped. “How did he get up there? Did he go through the mountain gate?”

“I have no idea how he got up there, how he didn’t die from the cold right away. Let alone how he got through the gate in the first place. Only ice wielders and Pallidian’s can get through the gate from the Onyx side.” Johnny said, leaning back into the chair, Yerim curling into his side.

“Maybe we should ask Taeil about all this, he’s good with foreign affairs and history.” Kun suggested. Kun was so level headed all the time, he always knew what to do in any situation.

“Brilliant idea Kun, we’ll do that tomorrow.” Johnny smiled at Kun.

He felt so whole at that moment. It didn’t even matter that Zagan wanted to kill him, it didn’t matter that Yukhei had disappeared without a trace and got through the gate. He was with his family, and that was all that mattered to him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh!!!! i hope you liked this chapter, it's a lot longer than my usual writing is,,,, i just had a lot to say (and id idn't get to everything i wanted to but i felt like it was really dragging on aha)  
> and we finally meet johnny and the gang :')  
> anywayyyyy,, as usual please let me know what you thought, and come and hang out with me on twitter if you want, I talk a lot about writing and Suffering (@taeyongthefirst)  
> <3


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